Tuesday, August 26, 2008

It’s sin’sational! It’s sin’tillating! Iiiiiiiiiit’s the ‘sin city’!

Only the devil would vouch for this! It’s the city where sin is the only religion that people follow, perhaps without an iota of guilt, and embrace with open arms, the supreme vices of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, anger, envy and pride... and whatever else, one and all could crave for. ‘If sin is what you must, Vegas will be the first!’ Knighted unofficially with the ‘Sin City’ moniker, desert haven Las Vegas – founded in 1905, the most populous city in Nevada state, USA (yet, with just a 0.5 million headcount!) – is but obviously the ‘gambling entertainment capital of the world’ (with due apologies to Macao, China)!

Interestingly, Forbes in 2007, ranked it amongst the 20 best US cities for – ah, how should we put it – ‘sin’gles! Since much before the now ultra-doped Britney got her first marriage legalised here in 2004, Vegas has been called the marriage capital of the world! As Beatles succinctly put it, “All you need is love...” and of course $55 to tie the knot in la-la-land!

When the irresistible George ‘Ocean’ Clooney robbed $150 million from the Bellagio (the city’s #1 ranked casino), Mirage & MGM Grand (the world’s largest!!!) in the Soderbergh classic Ocean’s Eleven, it displayed the stupendous global brand equity commanded by Vegas ‘casinos’, which are, in reality, mammoth entertainment centres, with world-class rooms, restaurants, clubs, gymnasiums, parlours, roller coasters, magic shows, cabarets, and most importantly, and not to be missed, unbelievably huge shopping plazas, all rolled into one!

‘Politically correct’ was never how Las Vegas was spelt! And perhaps that’s the reason why an oversupply of flesh and skin is on the show across Vegas. But surely, it’s imperative to first give a ‘dekko’ to as many of the top casinos as possible, whether on the Strip (a spectacular road with many complexes) or off it, if not for the roulette, craps, baccarat, blackjack, poker, 7 card stud and high-limit slot machines, then definitely for the electrifying shows that define the very existence of Las Vegas – from Mirage’s ‘Volcano’, Mandalay Bay’s ‘Wave Pool’, Paris Las Vegas’ ‘Eiffel Tower’, Bellagio’s ‘Dancing Fountains’, the Stratosphere Tower (100 floors up), to the stunning lion and tiger exhibits at the MGM Grand & Mirage. And before you are spank bankrupt, arrested & extradited, make sure you don’t miss out on the Little White Wedding Chapel at 1301, Las Vegas Boulevard.... Nah, not for the usual Sunday mass, that is where they all get hitched.